Tacko Fall
January 30, 2025
Kaia Isaac
- Nationality: NZL
- Date of Birth: 16/09/2003
- Place of Birth: Christchurch (New Zealand)
- Position: GRD
- Height (CM): 193
- Weight (KG): 97
- Junior Assoc: NSW - Maitland
- College: Tarleton State (2025–2026) / Portland (2026–)
NBL CAREER OVERVIEW
NBL DEBUT
16/09/03
Age 0
LAST NBL GAME
5/02/25
Age 21
TEAM HISTORY
- New Zealand2025
CHAMPIONSHIPS
NoneBIO: Kaia Isaac was born in Christchurch (New Zealand).
NBL EXPERIENCE
Kaia Isaac made his NBL debut with the New Zealand Breakers on 16/9/2003. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.
New Zealand entered the off-season after finishing sixth with a 13-15 record, defeating Sydney 83-76 in the first play-in game before an 88-85 loss to Illawarra ended its season. Anthony Lamb (to Trento), William McDowell-White (to Berlin), Izayah Le’Afa (to Sydney), Justinian Jessup (to Ulm), Finn Delany (to Shizuoka), Mantas Rubstavicius (to Panevezys), Zylan Cheatham (to Nagoya), Mangok Mathiang (to Ramat Gan), Dan Fotu and Dom Kelman-Poto exited the team, while Thomas Abercrombie and Cameron Gliddon retired. Parker Jackson-Cartwright, Max Darling, Dane Pineau, Carlin Davison and Alex McNaught returned.
Head coach Mody Maor (to Nagasaki) was replaced by Petteri Koponen (via Helsinki), who added Matt Mooney (via Trento), Sam Mennenga (via Cairns), Mojave King (via Indiana), Mitch McCarron (via Adelaide), Jonah Bolden (via Sydney), Sean Bairstow (via Richmond), Grant Anticevich (via Gottingen), Freddie Gillespie (via Belgrade), Karim Lopez (via Badalona) and Kaia Isaac (via Canterbury).
Isaac joined New Zealand on a two-year development-player deal after helping the Canterbury Rams win consecutive NZNBL championships. He averaged 11.4 points to win the Rapid League MVP and also produced 9.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1 steal across 20 games with the Rams.
The development guard made his NBL debut against South East Melbourne on October 24, finishing with 1 rebound in 9 minutes and 37 seconds, while Matt Hurt (19 points and 7 rebounds) led the Phoenix to an 88-62 win.
Isaac (2.6 points across 8 games) averaged 7.2 minutes while shooting 47 percent from the field and 45 percent from three. No injury was reported during the season, with his limited appearances coming as a development player outside New Zealand’s regular rotation.
Isaac scored his first NBL points against Adelaide on November 2, making a three-pointer and adding 1 assist as New Zealand won 109-82, while Montrezl Harrell (25 points and 6 rebounds) led the 36ers. He added another 3 points two nights later as the Breakers defeated Melbourne 113-79.
Isaac was selected for the Tall Blacks during the November FIBA window and made his international debut against Chinese Taipei.
His best scoring performance came against Brisbane on January 8, where Isaac (5 points) played 11 minutes and 36 seconds, but Casey Prather (31 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists) led the Bullets to an 83-74 win.
Isaac’s best all-around game came against Adelaide on January 26, where he finished with 3 points, 1 rebound, and 2 assists in 10 minutes. Harrell (26 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 blocks) and Kendric Davis (23 points, 5 rebounds, 13 assists, and 2 steals) led the 36ers to a 94-78 win which ended New Zealand’s postseason hopes.
Jackson-Cartwright (18.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.6 steals across 21 games) and Mooney (16.1 points, 4.4 assists, and 1.6 steals across 29 games) led New Zealand’s backcourt, while Mennenga (11.7 points and 5.3 rebounds across 29 games), Fall (11.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks across 18 games), Lopez (9.6 points and 4.7 rebounds across 25 games) and King (8.5 points across 17 games) provided the other main contributions. Jackson-Cartwright won the Breakers’ MVP and Members Choice awards, King was named Defensive Player of the Year and Mennenga’s 29-point and 9-rebound performance against Tasmania was voted the Fans’ Moment of the Year. New Zealand finished ninth with a 10-19 record and missed the postseason.
New Zealand closed the season against Illawarra at Spark Arena on February 5, where Isaac (3 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, and 1 steal) played a season-high 12 minutes and 54 seconds, Fall (16 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 3 blocks) and Lopez (12 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block) led the Breakers, while Tyler Harvey (29 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists) led the Hawks to a 96-82 win.
Kaia Isaac played one season in the NBL. He averaged 2.6 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 8 NBL games.
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 21 | New Zealand | 10-19 (9) | 8 | 55 | 21 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 17 | 47% | 5 | 11 | 45% | 0 | 1 | 0% | 60% | 62% | 5 | Totals | 8 | 55 | 21 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 17 | 47.1% | 5 | 11 | 45.5% | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 60% | 62% | 5 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 21 | New Zealand | 10-19 (9) | 8 | 6.8 | 2.6 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 2.1 | 47% | 0.6 | 1.4 | 45% | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0% | 60% | 62% | 5 | Total | 8 | 6.8 | 2.6 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 2.1 | 47.1% | 0.6 | 1.4 | 45.5% | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0% | 60% | 62% | 5 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
|---|
STATE LEAGUE EXPERIENCE
- Maitland (2021–2022)
Isaac joined Maitland for the 2021 Waratah League season, making 10 appearances and averaging 10.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game.
Kaia Isaac returned to Maitland for the 2022 NBL1 East season, joining the Mustangs for the inaugural NBL1 East campaign under coach Luke Boyle after his rookie Waratah League season.
FIBA EXPERIENCE
In November 2024, Kaia Isaac earned his first selection for the senior New Zealand Tall Blacks, joining coach Judd Flavells squad for the second window of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers. Isaac was on the game roster but did not take the court in a 93–89 defeat to the Philippines in Manila on November 21.
Isaac made his senior international debut in Christchurch against Chinese Taipei on November 25, playing 3:04 and recording 2 points and 1 rebound in New Zealands 81–64 victory. He made his only field-goal attempt as New Zealand secured qualification for the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup.
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
-
New Zealand
- Canterbury2021–2025
Isaac joined the Canterbury Rams for the 2021 New Zealand NBL season, playing his first season in New Zealand, and official Rams records list him with Canterbury from 2021 onward.
Isaac remained with Canterbury in 2023 and helped the Rams win the New Zealand NBL championship, and in the same year he helped the club complete the double by winning the 3x3 Cup and was named Tournament MVP.
Isaac returned to Canterbury for the 2024 New Zealand NBL season and won a second straight league title with the Rams, and he also earned 2024 Rapid League MVP after averaging 11.4 points per game and scoring a season-high 17 points against the Taranaki Airs.
Isaac continued with Canterbury for the 2025 New Zealand NBL season. Isaac also showcased his all-around game during the NZNBL season with the Canterbury Rams, appearing in 20 games and averaging 9.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game, winning back to back championships. Issac played 62 games across his four Rams seasons from 2021 to 2025 with averages of 7.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game.
In 2025 with Canterbury, Isaac scored a career-high 27 points against the Southland Sharks on March 22, 2025, then had 23 points and 4 rebounds against the Franklin Bulls on July 6, 2025, and added 24 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists in the semi-final against Southland on July 12, 2025.
COLLEGE
Kaia Isaac began his NCAA career at Tarleton State in 2025–26 after several seasons of senior basketball in New Zealand and Australia, joining the Texans as a 6-foot-4 junior guard from Christchurch.
Before college, Isaac played four seasons for the Canterbury Rams in the New Zealand NBL from 2021 to 2025, appearing in 62 games and averaging 7.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists while helping the Rams compile a 46–16 record. He scored in double figures 19 times across his Rams career, including a career-high 27 points against the Southland Sharks on March 22, 2025, and later made a career-best six three-pointers against the Sharks on May 3.
Isaac also spent the 2024–25 Australian NBL season with the New Zealand Breakers, totaling 21 points, six rebounds and four assists and appearing for the Breakers against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the NBA preseason.
At Tarleton State in 2025–26, Isaac played all 32 games and started 31, averaging 25.3 minutes, 5.6 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game while shooting 39.4 percent from the field, 35.6 percent from three-point range and 85.2 percent from the free-throw line.
His first double-figure scoring game for Tarleton came at Cincinnati on December 1 when he scored 13 points and grabbed five rebounds. Two nights later he set a new season high with 16 points, four made three-pointers, six assists and four steals in a 119–54 win over Howard Payne as Tarleton set a new Division I-era scoring record.
Isaac later led Tarleton in scoring with 13 points against Utah Valley on January 29 and finished the season with 31 made three-pointers. He was also one of three Tarleton men’s basketball players named to the Academic All-WAC team for spring 2026.
After one season at Tarleton State, Isaac moved to the University of Portland for 2026–27, with the Pilots listing him as a 6-foot-4, 215-pound senior guard and Tarleton State as his previous school. He entered the 2026–27 season without any Portland statistics recorded.
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